


Runaway

by TheSilentChloey



Series: Fire Emblem Alternate Universes [18]
Category: Fire Emblem: Kakusei | Fire Emblem: Awakening
Genre: Additional Warnings In Author's Note, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern with Magic, F/M, Gang Violence, Grima is Robin, Sex, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-20
Updated: 2019-10-18
Packaged: 2019-11-26 02:26:50
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 22,543
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18174611
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheSilentChloey/pseuds/TheSilentChloey
Summary: Luciana runs away from home because her parents are “overbearing” and she can't make a pass grade at school.  She ends up meeting a young man called Robin Grima who is actually Grima Faudar, son of the infamous Validar Faudar, a supposed war criminal who was involved with the Grimleal.Robin is absolutely terrified for his life and as he tries to escape his past he sees Lucina as a way to atone for what he's done.  As he and Lucina get progressively closer and closer to one another it becomes clear to him that she is far more special than he expected, and Robin finds himself wanting to help her in order to save them both...





	1. The Runaway Girl

**Author's Note:**

> Heads Up People:  
> -Alternate Universe  
> -Explicit Violence  
> -Explicit Language  
> -Sex scenes  
> -Modern with magic  
> -Grima is Robin  
> -Politics  
> -War crimes  
> -War  
> -Major Character Death  
> -Underage sex  
> -Teen pregnancy  
> -Mild mental disability  
> -PTSD  
> -Angst  
> -Trauma  
> -Illicit drugs  
> -Gang violence  
> -Stranger to lovers  
> -Runaway teen  
> -Baby making  
> -Learning difficulties  
> So that will be the expectations for this story people. This is E for a reason.

The bell rung signalling the end of the day.  Lucina grimaced at the thick envelope she was handed and _knew_ she was going to be in a world of trouble when she got home tonight.  The young teen didn't even look up as her friend Severa went on about her birthday party and how great it was going to be.

 

Lucina had wanted to go, but that envelope ruined that idea as she had been told clearly unless she raised her grades she wouldn't be allowed to go out with her friends.

 

She knew what was going to happen now.  It was excruciating to think her long almost lonely vigils at the school library during lunch breaks had lead to her _still_ failing.   _She had done her best and it wasn't good enough_!

 

Yet no matter how long she spent trying to learn, no matter how much she tried...she couldn't even make a pass grade.

 

Lucina felt her body tremble at the injustice.  She was going to get yelled by her mother again, she just knew it.

 

To make matters worse Lucina had always had trouble with understanding certain things and now... that she was practically guaranteed to have a horrible remark from her stepfather too.

 

She didn't even have her father to help her.

 

Lucina sighed as she began to pack her things to leave the classroom.  She shoved the envelope into her bag and slung the bag over her shoulder.  “Hey, Lucina!” Severa called out, “You going to be on the bus or picked up?”

Lucina sighed, “Mother said she was going to take Brady to his violin lesson.  I don't know if I will. I assume she's going to pick me up as well since she usually does.” No doubt so she could be humiliated in front of her younger half brother _again_.

Severa sighed, “Sure.  I'll see you later I guess.”

Lucina nodded and left the room.  She then walked out to meet up with her half brother Brady.

 

She didn't even smile at him and simply walked out to where she was supposed to be picked up.  She didn't want to go through it again.

 

“Hey Luce-” Brady began puffing as he tried to catch up with her.  Lucina ignored him and kept walking the entire way. The only thing Lucina could have any hope with was sport, but since her grades were so terrible she wasn't allowed to represent the school.  “Luce!” Brady called out again near breathless now that they reached their destination. She grimaced. It wasn't just their mother...her stepfather was there too. Now her humiliation was complete.

 

The drive to Brady's violin lesson was mercifully quiet, though the radio was playing softly.  Lucina didn't want to be there and as soon as the car pulled up she got out. Normally she would have stayed but considering where she wanted to go wasn't too far anyway, she simply headed inside.

 

The public toilets were to the left and as Lucina entered the women's toilet she took a moment to simply gather herself.  The mirror reflected a pitiful looking fourteen year old girl. Her left eye had the same mark that her father had on his left shoulder.  Today it looked almost dark, a sign of her depressed state. She sighed. It was going to be a painful night.

 

By the time she got back, there was an unspoken question in the eyes of both her stepfather and her mother.  She didn't even bother to look at them. She simply sat quietly in the car and didn't say anything.

 

When Brady finally emerged Lucina still hadn't said a word.  He climbed in and said, “Th’ teach thinks I should be doin’ th’ second overture.”

Maribelle sighed with a small smile, “That's wonderful darling, I'm sure you'll do well.”

Frederick merely hummed in agreement and Lucina sat in stony silence.

 

The drive home was Brady talking about how he was going to manage study with his upcoming performance and Lucina made no comment.  It angered her that Brady was so lucky. She ended up giving up the violin a long time ago because she didn't like it. Not that she was any good at it either.

 

She missed her father and as she stared out of the window, she wondered what he'd have said about her grades.  Her father had only been gone for less than half a year and Lucina was forced to live with her mother and stepfather Frederick.  She didn't like him- he was much stricter than her father had ever been. Lucina felt like ice was sinking into her gut at the thought as she wished her father had never died.  She wouldn't have been in this stupid mess in the first place.

 

~*~

 

Lucina had been twelve years old when her father, Chrom was diagnosed with a very rare form of leukemia that was equally aggressive.  It was horrible to see him so sick, but he'd never let it get him down. Chrom had known it was likely going to cost his life but he never once let that stop him.  Lucina could still see him in the hospital smiling weakly when he heard she finally managed to figure out a math problem she'd spent months trying to work out until he helped her with it.  She remembered his gentle ruffle of her hair and him saying, “ _Don't give up Lucy.  You're a clever girl and don't let silly numbers on a page tell you otherwise_.”

 

She almost lost it again.  She bit her lower lip and tried to contain her grief.  Her father hadn't just been her father- he'd been her closest friend.  He encouraged her when everyone else simply didn't even care.

 

She numbly left the car and made her way to her room.  The door slammed and Lucina felt her back against the wood as she slowly sunk to the ground.  A sob escaped her and before she even realised what was going on, she was crying helplessly as the grief came back in full force.  She wished her father was there with her right then. She wished he'd never got cancer and that they could live the happy way they always did.  Lucina’s sobs were not an unusual thing, though her stepfather called it “attention seeking” and declared Lucina needed more discipline. He said that Lucina wasn’t even trying and no matter how hard she did it wasn’t good enough for him, or her teachers either.

 

~*~

 

“Lucina.” Maribelle called and there was no response.  She frowned as she thought about her daughter's behaviour and suddenly realised what was going on.  She sighed.

“Something the matter Maribelle?” Frederick asked and she said,

“I guess we have our answer.” Was all Maribelle said, “I think we may need to speak with her teachers.  I honestly don't know why she didn't even care to at least try to improve her grades.”

Frederick sighed, “Ah, so that was what that was all about.” he said quietly, “Perhaps we should have been tougher on her…”

“I still cannot believe she's acting like this.  I don't know how to even get through to her.” Maribelle sighed,

“Perhaps more monitoring is needed.” Frederick suggested,

“Maybe.  That might be the answer and perhaps a ban from all devices as well.”

 

~*~

 

Lucina didn't come out for dinner and Maribelle had tried to make her come out, only to hear a flat refusal accompanied by the locking of the door.  Maribelle sighed. She would have to have a word with Lucina come the morning, since she was behaving much worse than normal. Though Maribelle did not realise just how poorly she knew her own daughter, she didn’t know what Chrom had known from very early on, that Lucina had issues when it came to learning.  It wasn’t anything anyone had done wrong, it wasn’t about how lax or how strict anyone was. Lucina simply couldn’t pick up academically what she would practically.

 

~*~

 

Lucina wasn't sure what to do, but she knew it had to be _something_.  She'd pulled the envelope out and threw it into the bin, not bothering to read the contents as she _thought_ she knew what was in there, had she actually opened the envelope she would have seen the following letter,

‘ _Dear Ms Jagen_ ,’ It said, ‘ _I am writing to you about your daughter, Lucina Altea.  It has come to my attention that she has been struggling a lot over the last six months, and I would like to request a formal interview with you at your soonest convenience as we need to discuss Miss Altea’s future at school before any more problems begin to arise from this current downwards tread of her marks.  Regards Ricken Merric_.’

 

There was only one real solution for her.  She didn't want to stay _here_.  She grabbed only what she would need, a couple of changes of clothes and the only momento she had of her father, a picture of them both when Lucina was about eleven.  His gentle smile meant the world to her and she never wanted to be without it, as she didn't want to forget what her father looked like. She was however scared of forgetting what he sounded like.

 

She carefully folded it in with her clothes and looked around the room.  It was laughable to think she would need anything else, but she guessed that she didn't have the ability to be choosy.  She grabbed a bear she'd had since she was small and added that into her bag.

 

She had dumped all of the textbooks onto the floor unceremoniously before that.  She paced for a while longer before her eyes fell onto the one thing she forgot. A small necklace from her Aunt Emmeryn.  She carefully picked it up and put it around her neck. She had everything ready. She sat the bag on her bed and threw off her school uniform, dumping it near the textbooks.  She chose her favourite clothes and once she'd changed waited until the house fell entirely silent. She didn't unlock the door until near ten o'clock when they were too busy to notice.

 

Lucina shouldered the bag on her back and quietly made her way down to the front door.  She knew that it wasn't locked and as she opened it she didn't look back as she never wanted to come back.  She slipped out as quietly as she could and closed it behind her without even making it squeak. Her mother would be too busy in the shower and her stepfather would be in the office on the other side of the house, so she knew she would be fine.  After all they never really seemed to pay too much attention to what was going on while they followed their routine.

 

Lucina wasn't completely stupid.  She knew a thing or two about the routine and she was going to make use of that.  She walked keeping to the shadows, something she felt comfortable with despite the fact a girl her age was certainly not supposed to know something like that, she had learned it from a television programme about animals using their surroundings as cover and guessed the same principal would work with her too.

 

She made her way down the street and walked a route that she was familiar with.  Once she was clear of her mother's house that was. She knew it was a fair distance to walk and had thought to bring some change in case she could pick up a night bus.  She wasn't going to any of her friend's homes just yet. No where she was going was simple enough and should have been predictable for her.

 

She made it to an intersection and waited for the green ‘walk’ sign to flash.  She crossed the road and walked for half an hour before coming to a street that she would have to follow a fair way.  Lucina sighed and walked. She was cautious, knowing that it was dangerous to be going out at night but ultimately she made it to where she was planning without incident.  Though most people would be nervous about a child out this late, those who were migrants were often out at night apparently so Lucina wasn't out of place, once she got far enough away from where she lived and most of the neighbours were busily getting ready for bed and sleeping.

 

She soon made it to the cemetery gates and sighed as she calculated how far she would need to jump them.  She backed up and once she found the right distance it was little more than the high jump bar at school, something that was so easily done for her it was like a simple walk in the park.

 

Lucina easily cleared the gate and landed on the balls of her feet much like she did when she cleared the high jump bar.  She glanced around and sighed as she quietly made her way over to where she knew her father was buried.

 

She carefully stood before the gravestone and she felt herself cry again.

 

“Dad…” Lucina sobbed quietly, “I'm sorry...I...I...I wish you'd never gone!” She sobbed for a while longer and then she said, “I can't stay with Mother.  I promise though that I won't give up. I'll find something, I'll make you proud of me.”

 

She soon heard sounds of a group of people talking and laughing with the occasional swear word hitting the night air and made a split second choice.  She ran to her right and lept over the fence- it was only a touch taller than the gate but Lucina knew she could manage it- and she ran off into the night.  She wasn't going to look back. She would find her own way forward...she hoped…

 

~*~

 

Lucina ran down an unfamiliar street and took a left from there.  She wasn't sure where she was but she didn't care. She knew that she didn't want to be found, least of all by anyone that knew who her mother was or even one of her stepfather's workmates- she wanted to just leave them both behind for good and would take any pathway that achieve that- even getting to Southtown if she had to.

 

She ran through a maze of streets before she was forced to stop and catch her breath.  She was just outside a decrepit old bookstore that had half faded letters across one of the windows and was wall to wall with shelves of books, at least she thought that to be the case as she really couldn't see inside.  She was on high alert and scanning for any sign of danger, her ears trying to pick up the faintest of sounds while she tried to regain her breath. Lucina frowned as she looked into the store again.

 

There was a light on, which was weird but Lucina was too busy trying to avoid trouble and get her bearings and still catching her breath.  She near jumped when the door suddenly opened to reveal a white haired man blinking at her in surprise. He wasn't much older than she was, lithe and his hair was short, he wore a Plegian coat- a ‘historical’ looking one so she guessed he was a history buff of some kind or another.  In his hand was a fireball and Lucina couldn't help her surprise. She'd not seen magic like _that_ before.  The guy was definitely Plegian, now that she was able to get a good look at him.  His slightly tan skin contrasted with his white hair- not normal for anyone unless they were from Carrion Isle Lucina had heard.  She was so in awe at the sight of the man she didn’t notice him raise the fireball up. The street had a warm glow that it did not have before as doubtless the lights here didn’t work.

 

~*~

 

It had been a quiet night for Grima.  Not a lot of people going through the area which was nice.  After all it wasn't unusual for the night to be somewhat quiet, however the sound of running had woke him.  Though to be fair he was not quite asleep and he was sensitive to sound...he hastened to head down to the shop.  If it was one of those damned gangs again...he _would_ kill them this time.  He didn't give a damn about leaving a corpse behind if he had to.  It was then, a surprise when he opened the door and stepped outside with a fireball in hand and he saw something he didn’t expect.

 

It was indeed the last thing he expected to see.

 

A young girl standing outside his shop and home, bent over panting heavily as if she'd ran a mile.

 

Her long dark hair contrasting with her pale complexion and her look of shock told him she wasn't used to seeing magic.

 

The gangs usually were young men, so this girl didn't seem to be one of them.  Seeing her awed expression and naïve wonder also convinced Grima she wasn't a threat.

 

He then became concerned.

 

She was at risk if she was out on the streets like this and he knew that a girl her age was in danger of being kidnapped and sold to the prostitution rings that were run by different gangs.

 

Grima gave the fireball a flick upwards to increase the light cast around them.  For her own safety rather than his own. He didn't need the fireball to see. Grima spoke then, “Hello.  Sorry I startled you.” She was still in awe of the fireball, so he continued, “You're not from around here are you?” he asked, and the girl immediately looked down and shook her head, “Ah, I see.” he said gently, “Well in that case I most definitely can not in good consciousness leave you out on the streets.” She blinked in surprise but Grima knew just how close to danger this girl was and he just _couldn’t_ let another one go missing to the prostitution rings- not when he once used to _be_ involved in that and knowing what would happen if he didn’t do something drastic to help the poor girl before she really got into trouble, “Please, come inside.  You'll be safe I promise. I have no intention of allowing a young woman like you get hurt.” As smooth as ever Grima knew that the girl was quite cautious- her parents had trained her well but there were more ways to skin a cat- not that he wanted to use those tactics on her that would be awful for him to do...

“I...thank you but-” Grima gave a wry smile, she wasn’t convinced so he tried a more direct approach to get her out of danger.

“We can talk over some tea.  I don't need a life story you know.” He chuckled and she seemed to make her mind up after his more direct way to get her to safety,

“Alright.” She said softly and followed him into his shop and Grima felt himself sigh in relief.  She would be safe for now thank Naga.

 

A quick snap of the fingers was all it took for the door to relock itself and he lead her upstairs.  She seemed curious and as he opened the door to his small and admittedly rundown home, the young woman came to stand not too far from the couch.

 

“Have a seat, tea won't be long.” He promised, “Or do you drink coffee?”

“Um...I don't really like coffee, but if you do have hot chocolate...” Grima chuckled, his kind of girl,

“You're in luck.” He grinned, and was surprised by faintest of glowing coming from her left eye.  He thought little of it and instead asked her a more important question, “Sugar?”

“One please.” He grinned easily putting in a teaspoon of sugar into a mug.  The kettle was boiling away as he pulled out his own mug. Tonight promised to be an interesting one, that was for sure.

 

Once he had the drinks prepared he poured some milk into both, and levitated the two mugs.  He easily sat the hot chocolate in front of the young woman and she spoke, “Where exactly…?”

“The Migrant Quarter.  Not a good place for an Ylissean Miss.” Grima said seriously surprised her parents hadn’t told her about the dangers of where they were- for all that caution it was clear that she was a smart girl so why wouldn’t she know where she was?

She blinked, “Migrant Quarter?” She seemed unsure and Grima noticed somewhat afraid, “I…”

He knew this was possibly going to bite him later but he replied, “Well it's not my place to pry, but if you'd like, you can stay here until you decide where it is you'd like to go.  I won't mind and there is the spare room you can use if you like.”

The young woman looked thoughtful and just when Grima expected her to reject the offer, she surprised him by saying, “Thank you...I am surprised you'd be willing to let a complete stranger into your home.”

He chuckled, “Well I'll be the first to admit I've been alone long enough, so it really isn't a problem.”

“I will take you up on the offer...Mr…”

Grima smiled, “Please just call me Robin.  I'm too young to be a mister.”

The girl smiled, “Robin then.  I'm Lucina.”

Grima hummed happily, “Well then, Miss Lucina, it is an honour to meet you.” Grima said as he drunk his tea.  She was definitely his type, a bit on the thin side but nothing a good diet wouldn't fix. She seemed to be quite young, but he knew it was sometimes hard to get a read on people.

 

Of course it was nearly two o'clock in the morning when Grima got the spare room ready for her and the young woman practically fell asleep when her head hit the pillow.  He smiled in relief. She was safe. That was what mattered. He couldn't stomach the thought of something happening to her. He also knew he would have to get some things for her too.

 

He made sure that he went back to sleep for a little while.  He'd have no problem getting up in the morning after all- and he could sleep soundly knowing that Lucina was safe.  Sure it wasn’t like the other girls who had all gone missing or had died but at least he’d done the right thing.

 

~*~

 

Lucina wasn't sure how long she'd slept, but she woke to the sound of a wooden spoon scraping softly against a pan.  She stretched and yawned widely. Getting out of the bed she drew the covers up and cautiously headed out of the room and down the corridor towards the sound.  She spotted Robin with a book in hand as the spoon moved on its own through what looked like a yellow liquid. “Ah, good morning.” Robin said with a grin, “Sleep well?” he asked kindly,

“Yes, thank you.” Lucina said checking to see her bag where it was left the night before.  She sighed in relief as Robin cooked breakfast. It smelled good and Lucina hadn’t eaten since lunch the previous day.

“Here you go.  I hope you don’t mind scrambled eggs.” He said with a smile and Lucina was surprised, “Don’t worry they’re not poisoned or anything like that.” He said almost teasingly and Lucina giggled softly, “There is some toast as well if you don’t feel like-”

“Thank you Robin.” Lucina said with a smile and she took the plate from him and he chuckled,

“Toast?”

“Yes please.” Lucina replied and ate a full plate.  Robin seemed relieved and she giggled and he looked confused, “I didn’t realise that your hair was so white.”

Robin chuckled softly, “My mother was a Carrion Ilser.” He said wryly, “So I guess I got it from her, her eyes too apparently.” He said with an almost far away tone that made Lucina look down,

“Almost like how...I’m more like my own father…” Lucina said quietly and Robin seemed to sense it was a touchy subject.

 

~*~

 

Grima knew by Lucina’s depressed tone that something had to have happened to her father, “I see.” He said quietly, then he decided to against his better judgement open up a little, “Well I lost my mother a long time ago so I don’t really remember that much about her, only what others had told me.” He saw Lucina look up in surprise and then she looked down again,

“My father...he...had cancer…”

Grima gently took Lucina’s hand in his.  He didn’t really know what to say, but he decided that he would simply be there for her, “Ah.” He said gently, “Well then how about we talk of other things, less painful things?” He offered, “For example is there anything you will need while you’re here?” He asked changing the topic away from such tender waters.  It was only fair after all. Lucina smiled weakly, picking up what he was asking and she was at least not as sad as before. Grima was relieved. She was going to take time to adjust to the loss of her father, but in a way he felt closer to her than before. Perhaps because they lost a parent that loved them dearly.


	2. The Elder Sister

At first things were seemingly normal as night turned to morning and a new day dawned.  Frederick was getting ready to head down to the station, Maribelle to go to work and take the children to school, Brady was getting ready for school like normal as she didn't have to be in so early that morning and for the moment there was nothing to suggest that Lucina had run away.

 

Brady ate his breakfast and went to the bathroom to clean his teeth and normally Lucina would have been up, she would have been eating breakfast in her usual silence, maybe looking less than pleased about the punishment she’d been given.  Either way Brady would have likely not noticed and for the most part he didn’t have to consider his sister’s feelings as he didn't have the issues she did.

 

Half an hour and Lucina had still not appeared for breakfast and Maribelle was beginning to get worried.  Lucina never was late, though she was never in a mood like she was the night prior either. Maribelle walked upstairs and tapped on the door and didn’t get a response.  She tapped again and called out, “Lucina!” and there was yet again no response. She opened the door and froze at the sight before her.

 

~*~

 

Lucina sat across from Robin as he made a list of the things that she was likely going to need while she stayed with him.  His writing was neat, imposingly so compared to her own. He was quick to list things under various headings, and hummed softly as he got on with his task.  “I suppose this will do for now.” He grinned and Lucina gaped. She couldn’t believe how quickly he’d got everything down, “Though I’m sure we missed some things so, we’ll have to add them as they come up.” He said calmly.  Robin it seemed was used to writing things down. He gave her a small smile and added, “You don't have to come if you'd rather stay and relax. You were up fairly late last night so I wouldn't be too surprised…”

Lucina gaped, “Really?” She asked surprised and Robin chuckled,

“Yeah, you should rest a little longer.  At least I think you should.” He said and Lucina smiled softly, heaving a sigh of relief as she _did_ feel tired still,

"Well if you say so." Lucina said with a smile.  Robin grinned. Somehow Lucina felt he was watching out for her.

 

~*~

 

As Grima calmly left his home he made sure to lock the door for the sleeping Lucina's safety.  She needed the rest and he was well aware that there were still some gangs in the area at time of day.  Worse still that they would active now as they had day to see what they were doing. He made his way across the road while Lucina was resting.  He didn’t mind letting her do that since she needed to rest and a safe place to rest. He crossed the street with his usual music in his ears. He didn’t notice the police car that drove past but he did notice the group of young men elbowing each other as they pulled out some sort of weapon thinking him an easy target.  Grima waited until they attacked him. He easily dodged the kid with a knife and launched a thunder spell to the kid’s chest making him drop his weapon and fall to the ground, clutching at his chest. “Which one of you bitches is next?” Grima growled and the group hesitated,

“Fucking cunt!  You’ll pay for that shit!  Git ‘im!”

Grima snorted, “ _Ruin_!” He stanced up and the dark miasmic magic surrounded him and his assailants fell to the ground, “Well, well.  Looks like you misjudged what you were dealing with kiddies. Tell you what, stay off my back and I won’t kill you.”

One of the boys stood up shakily and held the gun up, “Fuck you!”

Grima sighed, “Too bad.” he flicked his wrist and the kid dropped the gun as his chest tore open spilling blood over the ground.  Grima smirked, “ _Nosferatu_.” He murmured as sirens sounded.  He shook his head. It didn’t matter to him.  The cops were wasting their time. He would kill them too if they sufficiently got in his way.  He kept on walking past the group of now dead bodies and opened the door to the grocery shop. “Yo, Bubbles nice show!” Said a ginger haired man, “So what’s the latest?  You here to pay your tab?”

Grima snorted, “Yeah and put in an order.” He said casually giving Gaius the sheet he’d written on.

“Huh...you finally got yourself a girlfriend huh Bubbles?” Gaius grinned widely as he'd been placing a bet with his wife about the somewhat grouchy albino,

“That’s none of your business.” Grima said eyes narrowed and Gaius laughed,

“Sure Bubbles.  Say did you get to see the news last night?  Some kid went missing. The police have been asking for any information, though they should know to avoid the migrant quarters by now.”

“Why are they even bothering?” Grima said, “If it’s a missing girl she’s likely already shipped to Plegia by now if she hasn't been raped and murdered.”

Gaius sighed, “Yeah.  That’s true. Still won't stop the bastards comin’ round asking though.”

“Really?” Grima said surprised,

“Yep.  Oh and Tharja says hi.  She’s worried about you Bubbles.”

Grima snorted, “Yeah I can handle myself just fine.”

Gaius nodded, “Yeah well those Trickster brats didn’t stand a chance and all but Tharja's still worried about you all the same.” He shuffled out from where he was standing and moved to the computer.  He calmly typed away, “So...any word from our _friends_ by any chance?”

Grima felt himself go cold.  He sighed, “No. No word so far.  I would like to keep it that way Gaius.  I don’t want to-”

“Yeah I know.  I just thought I’d ask since...well…” Gaius voice dropped, “Validar’s bin asking for you Bubbles.  I know boss man’s not happy that you went and left like you did.”

“I had to Gaius.” Grima said softly, “And if I had a choice...I would kill him if it didn't profit me to have him stay alive for now.”

Gaius whistled, “Then what, our friends wouldn’t take too kindly to that.”

“I don’t know.  Witness protection maybe but…”

Gaius frowned, “You really wanna take that risk Bubbles?”

“No.” Grima replied as Gaius did the last enterings into the computer,

“If you could sway them you would wouldn’t you Bubbles?”

“Yes.  I think...I know Aversa would listen to me, my sister is not as stupid as Father makes her out to be.  Plus I have you and Tharja for what it's worth, so that'll sway a few more. Henry could be a worthwhile ally too.”

“What Junior?” Gaius said raising an eyebrow, “Yeah he would...but that guy is way too obsessed with blood-”

Grima smirked, “Which is why he’s ideal to watch my back Gaius.  He’s good at what he does and could be swayed to turn on my father when the time comes.”

The pair had fallen quiet as Gaius packed the order.  He came with a couple of bags and placed them on the warp circles, "Alright then.  See ya next time Bubbles."

Grima had walked to the door just as it opened.  He frowned as a police officer that he didn't recognise stepped in, "My cue to leave." Grima said and the officer said,

"I think not.  I have some questions-"

"Shove them up your arse." Grima said bitterly, "You bastards won't listen anyway.  You just want an excuse to be here. Also since when did cops like you bother with the migrant quarter?  Last I heard it was off limits to you."

He made his way to the door, or at least he would have if not for the idiot in his way, "As I said-" the man spoke and Grima turned to face him, "I have questions and want answers-"

Grima pulled an annoyed expression, "And I said to shove them up your arse, you ignorant, arrogant piece of shit." He said and snapped his fingers sending the idiot at the door staggering backwards rapidly, "You idiots have no business here.  Perhaps you'd do well to remember that in the migrant quarter you've got nothing. Guns aren't shit against magic." He snapped his fingers sending the policeman stumbling back, "Piss me off again and I won't be so generous. If you are looking for that missing kid Gaius told me about, she's probably already dead, or if she managed to survive, shipped off to Plegia." The cop gaped at Grima, "Sorry but that's just how it is around here.  Besides no one likes cops like you- I doubt they'd say shit if you're like this to them." Grima said then he said, "And stalking people is a good way to get your useless arse killed around here. Just fyi."

The cop looked like he was about to bust when Gaius said, "Sad but Bubbles here is right.  Besides no one's seen the kid you're looking for so, chances are she's either dead or sold off like he said.  That's what happens to missing people around here. Hanging around like a bad smell fixes nothin' and only makes people hate you more."

The cop grimaced as Grima left the store.  He shook his head. That guy was so stupid.  And powerless in the migrant quarter. Especially since the gangs ran so rampant that police normally avoided the area like the plague.

 

~*~

 

It was not what Frederick had expected.  He tried to explain to the shop keeper that the young man had made a serious breach of the law and the man didn't bother to be surprised.  Instead he said, "When you bastards can control the gang presence around here, maybe you'll earn Bubbles' respect. As it is you're cops.  He doesn't like cops for one and two, you were askin' for it to happen. The last cops that tried to detain Bubbles were put inta their place.  So don't expect he's gonna help you now you've gone an' pissed him off. Bubbles is one of the best leads you woulda had. He knows mosta what goes on here.  Sad to say not even a warrant is going to help you with him. Those pieces of paper don't work 'round here."

 

~*~

 

Lucina woke a little after mid morning.  She took care of the chores she was used to just as Robin returned.  He blinked in surprise, "You don't have to Lucina-"

She smiled, "It's the least I could do."

Robin smiled softly, "Well okay.  But don't push yourself too much." He said, "Hmm...I should probably open up for the day."

Lucina decided to see what the day would hold and observed Robin as he did his tasks.

 

~*~

 

Grima headed downstairs and started to make his way through the daily task of opening his bookstore.  He made sure that the warp circles were ready. Those would summon the books from the back of store where they were delivered.  Of course the shelves had a few books sitting on them, though for the most part not actual books. Grima had mere samples and that was enough for some people to decide whether they were going to buy a book or not.  He was fairly sure that today was to be an interesting one.

 

He had just opened the door and cast the anti-theft hexes when a familiar face showed up.  He frowned and wondered why today of all days he would come face to face with his older sister Aversa.  She had a small bag at her side, which knowing her was likely expansion hexed. "Aversa. What a strange coincidence.  What brings you here sister?" He asked speaking in Plegian calmly and she gave him a wary expression,

"May we talk inside, little brother.  I am concerned that I might have been ollowed fay." She replied.

Grima nodded and stepped back to allow her to enter, "This is hardly a social call." He said glancing at her.  The curvy figured woman sighed,

"I need your help Grima." She said gripping his shoulders, "Father's gone nuts." She was shivering and Grima knew she was frightened,

"Aversa." He said looking at his sister as she gave him the most worried expression he'd ever seen, "What did he do to you this time?"

She tried not to look at him directly and Grima sighed she lowered her voice, "He's gone **_crazy_** , Grima...completely crazy.  Not since our mother died has he gone so insane."

Grima frowned, "Okay…"

Aversa sighed, "Well I don't know what happened entirely but…" she looked terrified and Grima felt himself feel sick as she continued in the same low voice, "One of the men had tried to fuck with Father-"

Grima frowned, "That can't be good…" Grima said as the chill slipped down his spine, "So let me guess, dearest father opened fire and killed the guy.  And you had the...pleasure...of seeing it happen?" He asked, his sister nodded quietly,

"I wouldn't call it a pleasure brother." She said and he sighed,

"Right...well, this day just keeps getting better and better." He said with a roll of his eyes then he frowned, "How'd you figure out I was here?"

Aversa suddenly grinned, "A stroke of luck, actually." She explained, "I tried to figure the furthest thing from our Father's control and lo and behold I guessed right.  Though I doubt the rest of those men would have guessed it yet."

Grima hummed softly, "Yes well.  I suppose you should know that I have a different name here as well-"

Lucina came from upstairs at this moment and said, "Excuse me Robin, but I wasn't sure where this went."

He smiled softly, “That is meant to sit on the bench in the kitchen.” he explained calmly, and he saw Aversa's eager expression,

“You didn't tell me you had a girlfriend little Brother~!” she cooed and Lucina went bright red,

“She's a guest Aversa.” Grima said sternly,

“Oh I doubt that~.” She grinned, “But alright I'll hold off the teasing for now.” she said, "Still I think it's adorable."

"Of course you do Aversa." Grima let out a long suffering sigh and Lucina was still blushing, "Since you are here, maybe you'll join Lucina and I for some tea?"

Aversa snickered softly and said, "But of course my darling little brother!" She grinned and Grima knew his sister too well,

"You're not trying to ship me are you?" He asked with a raised eyebrow, "I did say Lucina was a guest."

Aversa smiled sweetly, "What can I say?  The two of you make a cute looking couple-"

"Don't you dare start with that!" Grima growled as his sister giggled,

"Why little bird you wound me!" She grinned, "I'm sure we'll figure out all of the fun later."

Grima muttered something about irritating sisters under his breath and they all headed upstairs.  He could only hope Aversa would refrain from telling the rather embarrassing stories from his childhood.  The last thing he needed was for Lucina to hear about that.


	3. Magic Revealed

As the trio headed upstairs there was a commotion outside the shop, nothing too unusual given the time of day.  Grima slowly making his way to the stove top and boiling the water as the yelling started. Killing those brats was only the start of the day and Grima also had his sister to deal with as well as making sure that Lucina was comfortable.  It was not the day for him to be dealing with anymore problems. Though if what Aversa said was true...then he would have to face his father Validar at some point. That was a thought that Grima didn’t like. He sighed as he fetched the necessary things to make a hot tea.  Knowing his sister she would want as much spice as possible and he decided to make a more traditional plegian tea.

 

He started with the milk, heating it with the fire magic he’d used to light the gas and made an expression akin to one who was more or less resigned to dealing with his sister.  Aversa had a lot of explaining to do and he supposed he did as well. Not only did he have a woman with him but he also had to explain to Lucina who his sister was. Nothing was ever easy…

 

Grima added the spices and tea bags to the milk once it was warm enough and his sister decided to speak, “So am I to assume that this lovely young lady is your girlfriend little Bird?”

He sighed, “Please don’t…” He groaned at his sister, “This is Lucina obviously, and she’s staying a while until she figures out where she wants to go-”

Aversa pouted, “And here I was hoping you weren’t so prickly.”

“Aversa…” Grima sighed, “Is my older sister Lucina.  You’ll find she has a very...interesting taste in fun.”

“I...I see.” Lucina blushed and Grima snorted,

“She means well, so pay it little mind.”

“Only because you want to ignore the fact that-” She leant forward and grinned.  Just the gesture was enough to make Grima want to throw something at his sister, “ Maybe a sweet young woman like her might rub off on you- and I think she'll make you a little less grouchy if you got some action."

“Aversa!” Grima threw his hands up in frustration and was close to throwing a thunder spell at her.  Aversa giggled,

“You are really too easy to tease little Bird.” She said then she smiled at Lucina, “You’ll find he’s a decent man- most of the time.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Grima shot at her, and Aversa laughed.  Poor Lucina was looking between the siblings in confusion. Grima found the expression cute,

“For me to know and you to find out little Bird.”

“Of course you’d say that.” He groaned, checking on the tea as the milk simmered.  She was as bad as ever. “So then what exactly made you leave the cushy life of a model sister?  Aside from father’s antics.”

Aversa sighed quietly and said, “Well you weren’t exactly easy to find I’ll have you know.  I simply decided I had enough of...some things and felt it was for the best to cut my losses and find a place to keep out of  _his_  eye.  That and I’m sure you know how mad he was you left.”

“Still?” Grima said surprised, “I thought he’d got over it.”

“No.  Like I said he’s gone nuts, and the...deal he wanted fell through.”

“No surprises there.” Grima said, “He should know that kind of cooking won’t help him.  None of the things he’d tried worked before.”

He knew that the tea was ready and he put the sugar into it.  He placed the mug before his sister and she gave him a look, “So what have you been up to little Bird?”

He blinked, “Well aside from running the bookstore- nothing much.”

She frowned, “Really?  You know that is a waste of a mind like yours.”

“It’s for the best.” Grima said quickly, “And it wasn’t like my options were plentiful.”

“Touché.” Aversa replied, “So then what is the next thing you need to worry about?  I won’t say that we’re going to have a great time after all. I will have to find a place to stay-”

“You can make use of the couch here if that is agreeable.  Lucina has the spare room and I haven’t got the tools to play with expansion hexes.”

“How generous of you little Bird.”

“What?  Am I not allowed to help my sister?” He asked with a raised eyebrow.  She laughed and got up. She walked up to him and kissed his cheek,

“You are the kindest little brother a girl could ever ask for you know that right?”

Grima blushed, “Sure.”

Lucina giggled and Grima found he liked the sound.

 

~*~

 

Lucina had never had a tea quite like the one that Robin had made.  It was quite nice to drink and as she enjoyed it it was clear that Lucina was going to have a good day.  Robin’s sister was a nice woman- albeit with a teasing streak it seemed. It made Lucina wish she had that kind of warm ease with Brady, though to be fair that was unlikely.  It depressed Lucina that she didn’t have the same bond. Though to be fair it was the first real time she’d been in another person’s house that she did not know particularly well.  She would have been chewed out by her mother she supposed for what she’d done but as far as Lucina was concerned she wasn’t going back. She didn’t want to have to face her mother and things seemed more peaceful here with Robin.  She heard a loud bang and realised that perhaps she should thank her lucky stars that she was with Robin and his sister.

 

“The morons are at it again.” Robin groaned, “Don’t worry they’ll shut up in a hour or so.”

She hoped so.  More loud bangs told her that there was a full blown fight going on.

“How bad are they?” Aversa asked and Robin said,

“Oh they’ll stop once they’ve left enough carcases behind.” He said boredly, “Or they’ll fall back and be stuck for a few hours.  Though if there’s cops...well, they’ll want to kill them.”

 

Robin walked to the window and gave a look, “Well fuck.” He said, “Looks like they’re banding together against some cops.” He snorted, “This will go down well.” The sarcasm ozzed through Robin’s tone, “Yeah those cops are not going to make it.” He said, “Oh...the kids have some mages...yeah those cops are dead.” Robin chuckled, “Stupid fools all of them.”

“Why?” Lucina asked and Robin gave her a gentle expression,

“Because you’d want the police to have half a brain to know that if the gangs can make use of their mages they’re going to.  And the cops won’t have the tech to deal with them. Magic wounds are lethal in the wrong places, no bullet proof vest is going to save them.  They’d need military grade gear for that. Which Ylissean cops do not have. They’ll never have it. Which is why they’re stupid. The gangs should have bought their mages out to play earlier, hence they’re stupid too.  Too bad for them.” Robin said and Lucina came to the window just as a bolt hit one of the police officers, “Oh boy, that looks like a vital hit. Idiots.”

She blinked as the bolts suddenly became more numerous, “Wait are those…?” She asked turning to Robin who sighed,

“This is why cops don’t last here.” He said simply, “They end up getting killed.” Robin explained, “At least with magic it’s not so messy a way to die.”

Lucina blinked.  This was a different world almost.  Yet she couldn’t help but be curious, “Is it possible to learn how to use magic?”

Robin looked at her with a grin, “Yeah.  Why you want to learn how to use it? I’m warning you it’s not an easy process.”

“It can’t hurt to try.” Lucina said and Robin’s grin grew.  His sister chuckled,

“No it can’t.  You’ll have to have the ability to use it though.”

 

~*~

 

If anyone told Lucina she would be trying to learn how to use magic she would have laughed at them.  Until of course she actually was in the position she was currently in.

 

To the surprise of everyone- Lucina, Robin and Aversa- Lucina did indeed have the ability to use magic.  It was the most surprising thing that had happened thus far but it was something that was welcome news. Lucina guessed it was something that was something that she wouldn't have found out on her own.

 

Even so as Lucina got to know how magic worked, she realised it was something that was actually  _easier_  for her than she thought it might be.  Of course Robin's older sister was a good teacher, as was Robin- it was surprising to see how much better a relationship the siblings seemed to have compared to Lucina and her brother Brady.

 

Lucina did blush however at how...forward Aversa was.  The fact that Aversa spoke so loosely was one thing, but the fact that the woman seemed to approve of Lucina being with Robin was...a little embarrassing.  Especially given that wasn't how things were between them, "I say it's perfectly fine if you share the bed with little Bird. I think it'd be quite the good thing for him and for you."

Robin blushed and said, "Aversa…" with a groan.  Lucina had to keep from blushing too much. She had not expected Aversa to be such a vehement supporter of the supposed relationship.  If anything it seemed like Aversa was...egging them on a fraction which made Lucina even more embarrassed. She gave Robin a bewildered look and he sighed, "Aversa's been like this since we were kids, though not with me so much." He was practically steaming with his own blush when the soft sound of a bell made him frown, "I won't be long ladies, Aversa please try not to corrupt our guest's innocence too much for the love of Naga." He said pointedly at his sister.  She laughed in response as Robin went downstairs.

"Oh he is just too cute to not do that to." Aversa winked at Lucina, "He's very sweet behind that gruff exterior.  A much better man than our father is at any rate. I doubt that there is a man in all of Plegia who is as sweet as little Bird is."

"So you're from Plegia?" Lucina asked curiously, Aversa smiled,

"Why yes, my brother and I were born there.  Our mother- may the gods rest her soul- was the only good thing about being there when she was alive.  Kept our father reasonably sane too, until the civil war broke out. I can say he did some insane things-" Aversa sighed sadly, "Though my little brother it seemed was the wiser of the two of us.  He left as soon as he could, moving here to Ylisse to escape our father- a wise move but we don't really know if the old man is aware of that. Hopefully not. I don't want to think about what would happen when the old man does figure out what's going on."

Lucina frowned, "That sounds scary." She said and Aversa nodded,

"Of course.  Though it seems things are on the up and up now." She grinned, "Also how long have you been here?  I do hope my brother has been the most polite he can be- I won't let him hear the end of it if he hasn't."

Lucina blinked in surprise but she said, "Only last night."

Aversa raised an eyebrow and grinned widely, "Oh I see." She chuckled, "Well then, I'm glad to know little Bird is behaving himself."

 

~*~

 

Grima noticed that there was a blond muscle bound man casually walking through the store.  He spoke, "Are you fine to browse or would you like some help?"

The man turned to the sound of the voice and came to the counter where Grima was leaning on it, "Eh, I'm fine I guess.  Though if ya don' mind I 'ave a couple o' questions...see I 'eard some kid was found missin' th' mornin' a young'un aroun' fourteen or so.  Ya seen any gal wot looks like th' picture?"

Grima frowned and said with the most neutral expression possible, "No, sorry I haven't, sir.  That's odd, I though one went missing last night? Is this the same child?"

"Nah, it's a different one."

Grima's mask remained.  He had a feeling that Lucina didn't want to be found.  He decided to help her stay hidden, if that was her intent, "I see.  The grocer across the street said one went missing last night and the cops have been annoying everyone all morning." He said with a roll of his eyes, "Stupid of them if you ask me."

The man nodded, "Sure, thanks fo' ya time.  Say if ya 'ear anythin'-"

Grima snorted, "I doubt I will but even if I did there's no point in telling the cops.  They'd be chasing shadows by that time- things around here are quite dangerous if you catch my drift."

He saw another man come in and sighed, this one was a familiar face that Grima had not expected to see.  Especially since Aversa decided to show up unannounced on the door step, "One copy of  _Grimleal's Redemption_  please.  And one of  _In My Ageless Sight_ .  Also I would like  _Time's Risen Uprising_  and  _Things Heard_."

Grima gave the man a nod, "As you desire.  Anything else?"

The man shook his head and held out a card with a familiar symbol.  Grima knew who he was and he sighed, "Why don't we discuss the order out the back?"

The man nodded and the blonde man looked surprised, "Somethin' th' matter?"

The man said quietly, "No sir.  My friend and I normally like to hand out a little while he puts together orders."

 

~*~

 

"Right what's the real reason you're here, Henry?" Grima asked quietly as they were both in the back room.  Henry was a man of books, blood, occasional murder, blood, crows and plenty of blood. He spoke in Plegian,

"Because I heard a kid went missing.  I thought of you and I kinda couldn't help but notice the fact that the police are showing their sorry faces like a bad smell around here like they think they know where the kid is.  Turns out the bastards have a new commander in chief. Though I don't think it matters that much the cunts do have the high ground and I was worried that the rest of the Grimleal had shown up, you know to do their usual shit.  They will once they find out there's a girl to be had on the black market and all-"

"There won't be Henry."

"Wait what?!" He said looking at Grima with wide eyes,

"I've...made sure that won't happen." He said then he dropped his voice, "My guess is that the cops won't rest until they annoy everyone in the damn hood.  I say let them. It's their own necks those cunts are sticking out to get lined and chopped."

"Oooooh...gods that is something worth watching.  You know I should toats stick around for that. Though I kinda got to stay clean if you catch my drift."

Grima nodded and handed Henry a warp circle, "Sure," he said in clear Ylissean, "Keep that circle with you and the order will be delivered at ten." Dropping his voice in Plegian he said, "I'll keep you posted on how many get capped, okay?"

Henry grinned, "Thanks~!" He made a happy trill as he headed back out to the main store.  Grima noticed the blonde still hadn't left the shop. Still as Henry left Grima decided to head upstairs to check on Lucina and Aversa.  The blonde man unnerved him for a reason Grima could not be sure of.

 

~*~

 

Lucina wasn't sure what to do when Robin showed up from downstairs.  "It should almost be here…" he muttered walking to a strange circle she'd not noticed at first and Aversa made a small grin,

"Oh my, did you order something little Bird?" She asked and he said calmly,

"Only some supplies for Lucina." He said, "Especially since she'll be our guest for a while."

The white haired woman smiled, "Glad to see my little brother is an appropriate host." As the circle glowed a vibrant blue colour.  Lucina was in awe as literal bags suddenly appeared,

"Saves having to carry them, and makes life a hell of a lot easier to warp things to a location." Robin explained to Lucina's awed expression, "This is more common in Plegia, but most of the places here in the migrant quarter do this on a regular basis."

Of course true to Robin's word the bags had things Lucina would need, period supplies, shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste, a toothbrush, and some food as well.  Of course it did create a small conundrum of what was going to happen now that Robin's sister was with them, until Aversa seemed to pick up on Lucina's concern, "Don't worry, I have everything I need, so you'll be fine with the things here.  I pretty much threw everything in that I could." She giggled, "So I doubt I'll need anything."

"I take it you'll want the study?" Robin asked his sister,

"If that's fine with you, sure."

 

~*~

 

Aversa grinned and Grima knew his sister was up to something, "I can pack the groceries away later, but for now, I'll have to check the shop." He said, "Those bags with the things you need Lucina can be put in the spare room, the top draw should have enough room for all of it since the draw's expansion hexed.  Most of the stuff in this place is somewhat. Useful for storing things. Okay I won't be long."

He left the pair and came down to the shop with a young couple.  Dealing with what they needed was easy done and he put the sale- the first actual sale of the day- through.  He would make do with what he had if it meant he would have a new home.

 

After that the usual types came in from teachers looking for resource books to suit their budget to the local school librarian, a woman named Miriel Merric who was well known to Grima- as well as one might know a customer at any rate.  She was fascinated by the warp system that was used to deliver the books to the school's library without them having to arrive by her small car or a rental. She was of course one of the staff members of the school who Grima saw the most.

 

He didn't pay attention to the school name, just that books needed to be sent to the warp circle he'd made for them.  It would be the first full month he'd been supplying books to them. He could remember her face when he'd asked her where the books would need to go- he travelled to the library the first time to place the warp circle where it was needed and explained how it would work as she was the first non migrant he'd dealt with.  She had been surprised but ultimately she seemed to humour him. The kicker came on the day after the warp circle had been placed and Grima had sent the books that were requested.

 

Less than five minutes he was called by her to ask how he'd delivered the books to the warp circle and Grima found himself answering a lot of questions that day- and gaining one of the regular customers who honestly kept the shop running.

 

Today it was business as usual.  Miriel it seemed needed some science books in for fifth grade children and Grima did his usual checking of the catalogue to see if he could find and order the required books.  It was normal for him to find the book within a few minutes. Miriel was making a note of how much this particular order would cost to see if the school would allow for it in their budget.

 

Grima's fingers tapped the screen as he drew up the cost of the order, "Five hundred and seventy for forty copies, that seems to be the cheapest price I can find, so I wouldn't call it quits just yet.  Is this a curriculum essential?"

The librarian pushed her glasses up her nose, "From what I can gather, the fifth grade curriculum dictates that it is mandatory to have this book in the library system to further the education of students.  I can't say that the principal will be particularly pleased with this price outcome."

Grima checked the price a second time to make sure it was the right book and said, "They're out of stock which is why the price is so exorbitant.  I'll see if I can get a reduction to two hundred and eighty five for you."

"Very gracious of you." She replied, "I am sure you'll do your best to."

Grima hummed calmly and said, "Anything else?"

"Affirmative.  We do need some more of the fictional works of the Wyvern Wars series.  It seems that the children are quite eager to read them."

Grima chuckled, "Yes I do have five copies of the latest one- I'll admit I did stay up too late to finish the latest one.   _The_   _Macedon Pegasus_  is a definite must read.  Though  _Secrets of Altea_  was a close second along with  _The Terror of Highnoon_.  I can certainly add some more to your order.  Did you need the  _Wyvern Knights of Macedon_?"

The librarian nodded and Grima chuckled, "The waiting list to borrow the books is quite a length one."

Grima smiled, "A good thing I hope."

 

It was nice to deal with Miriel Merric.

 

~*~

 

The rest of the day went smoothly and as Grima headed upstairs he did the usual closing procedure.  He frowned at the strange object that was underneath the counter and he gave it a good flick. It shattered when it hit the ground and he frowned, he'd no idea what it was doing there and it certainly wasn't there yesterday.  Grima shook his head and returned to Aversa and Lucina. His sister had been getting Lucina to try on some of the clothes Aversa bought with her. It was actually quite dangerous to say the least, though not so much for Lucina as it was Grima.  The girl was definitely his type. He could have done without the mental image of Lucina in a traditional Plegian dark mage outfit. His body trembled as he felt it react to the mental image and groaned. He was going to make his sister pay for that.

 

~*~

 

Of course as the evening approached Lucina was glad to have had such a nice day with Robin's sister.  The pair had a fun time getting Lucina to try on clothes she would never have been allowed to at home had her mother a say in the matter.

 

There were so many different clothes Aversa had bought and Lucina was learning about how expansion hexes worked.  By the time Robin came back upstairs Lucina and Aversa were relaxing with a cup of tea as Aversa was telling Lucina about what school was like in Plegia.  It was very different from the school she knew.

 

~*~

 

" **What do you mean the bug was destroyed**?!" Frederick yelled,

"Just that." Said a young man with blonde hair, "The bug obviously got found and destroyed.  Though I don't get why all the fuss over a kid that's probably run away from home to be honest."

Frederick frowned, "What is that supposed to imply?"

The man sighed and ran a hand through his short hair, "Take it from me if no one else- yous were too hard on the kid.  No wonder she up and left. My kid said Lucina wasn't the sort to play-" he made quote marks with his fingers to emphasize his point, "or 'hang out' and I trust Gerome.  'Sides if ya really wanna know what she was up to why didn't ya ask her teachers instead of being an ass to her?"

Frederick didn't have any words.  He was still reeling from the loss of several young cops that had been killed that day.

 

~*~

 

Dinner was a quiet affair as Grima had the usual Plegian channel on the small television.  The usual news was in Plegian and seeing Lucina's confusion he said, "I guess we'll have to teach you Plegian, at least while you're here." He grinned,

"I know a little." She said in her best Plegian and Grima laughed,

"That's a good start.  Though you'll do better learning from an actual Plegian than the Ylisseans.  Not that there's anything wrong with that." He said grinning, "It's just easier that's all."

Lucina giggled and the night went smoothly.  Aversa gave Grima a wink and he saw her make little kissing motions when Lucina wasn't looking.  Grima threw a cushion at her which lead to a howl of laughter. Lucina was confused and then Grima rolled his eyes as Aversa said, "Teasing little Bird is too much fun."

Lucina giggled in response.  It was calm and quiet for a moment when suddenly the sound of firing guns sounded and Grima sighed,

"Those stupid cunts are at it again." He sighed and walked to the window.  Aversa frowned,

"Little Bird-" She began and another shot sounded.  She flinched, "Gods I thought…"

"It's the usual idiots, morons don't even know how to fire properly.  Typical half wits." He said turning away from the window as the fighting began to get worse as yells and swearing could be heard.  Lucina seemed uneasy. Grima had a feeling he wouldn't be alone tonight.


	4. Consequences

Frederick arrived home to a sombre atmosphere.  Maribelle was currently sniffling as she tried to go about the process of making dinner for the night.  Frederick came to stand beside her and she turned to face him, "Rough day?" She asked and the man nodded,

"We lost three good men today." He said quietly,

"That's not good." Maribelle said softly, "Any word on…?"

He shook his head, "No.  We couldn't find her, but we will keep trying." He said.  Maribelle nodded.

"Dinner's almost ready." She said sniffling.  It was clear that Maribelle was trying not to cry.

 

~*~

 

"So…" Grima said waiting for his sister to elaborate on what she had bought.  Lucina was in the shower,

"I did bring some expansion hex tools.  Just because I had a feeling they might be needed.  So-"

Grima sighed, "Fine you can make use of them." He said, "Just try not to go overboard with it.  I don't want the shield hex stretched too thin."

 

~*~

 

It had been a quiet night thus far as the violence seemed to settle after the news ended.  It was hardly unusual and the fact it didn't last long said a lot about gangs in the area. The dead police must have filled the need of violence for a small while.  Not that Grima really cared about it. He was almost always keeping as clear of it as he could.

 

Yet peace was short lived.  An explosion woke him. Grima frowned and came to the window just in time to see a magic duel happening on the street below him, "Son of a bitch!" He hissed as the spells shot out and he could see plenty of the usual group of children and he knew he had to get outside before it got out of hand.  He barely made it to the door when there was a knock. He blinked and opened it. Lucina stood pale faced and looking like she was frightened,

"They're...they're not trying to murder one another are they?"

"Not if I can help it." Grima said calmly, as he left the room, closing the door behind him, "As much as I don't care for the affairs of the gangs...this is one time to intervene.  At least to tell them to take it somewhere else."

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the short chapter- the next one is a real massive undertaking and features a potential lot of fun.


	5. The Best Laid Plans...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aversa Fauder begins a plan that will undoubtedly bring the heat between a certain young couple...

He'd stepped out and made a blast that had the whole group of people freeze, "What the fuck do you fools think you're doing?" Grima snapped.  The shock of the group was palpable to Grima. They didn't expect a high level castor to cut into their fun. Yet the moment Grima did he created real silence.  Lucina was inside as he'd not wanted her so close to the fighting just yet.

 

The group knew that they were all very much outclassed.  No one moved to argue with the Plegian coated young man with snow white hair and blood red eyes.

 

They had been sparring.  In an attempt to improve their performance.  Yet they knew it was a risk. A risk their leaders would kill them for.  The boys had heard of a group called the Grimleal, who if their bosses were to be believed were coming to take their turf and that meant war.  Yet the Grimleal man had not harmed them. One of the more braver- perhaps stupider boys spoke, "Yo so, fuck dude, tha bosses will bust a cap up in our asses if they smoke up our phat asses bustin dis shit, so...like can we...that is ta say, could we...serve ya instead?"

Grima raised an eyebrow, "Now why would you do that?"

"Fuck, playa we sick of tha fuckin bosses yo.  And you've gots tha kind of magic juice we could learn from.  We swear we won't git up in yo' way man." Another boy spoke up, he had a lot of scars and seemed to be older than most of the boys.  Grima internally debated the idea, on the one hand it would be useful to have eyes and ears on the streets, on the other…

"Fine, but if you idiots get in my way, I will make you regret the day you were born bitches, am I clear?"

"Yes Boss!" The boys said,

"We'll do proper magic training tomorrow, for now get the fuck off the street.  We do not want undue attention."

The boys scattered quickly, they would do as they were told.

 

~*~

 

Frederick stood in the doorway as undue anxiety ate at him.  Lucina had been missing for a full three days. The longer it took them to find her, the worse the problem would be.  Though it was so unlike her to just disappear like that. Maribelle was in a state and a half, crying almost helplessly.  It didn't help that he was taken off of the case by his superiors for "antagonizing their only potential lead" on where Lucina might be- the young Plegian bastard he'd tried to question in the migrant quarter a couple of days ago.  Apparently he was a very...valuable source of information and the Ylisstol Crime Scene Investigation Unit had been trying to get an agent near him for  _ months _ now with no success.

 

It was a bitter blow to have this happen all at once.  Especially since Frederick was only trying to do his job.  To be assumed to have been unable to separate his family life from his work was horrible.  It was a painful thing to think about and Frederick tried not to dwell on the fact that the more time that went by the harder it would ultimately be to find his step daughter.

 

~*~

 

"So then if I wanted to float it with magic, I need to focus on the flow of magic through my body?" Lucina asked Grima and he smiled,

"Yes, you're getting it rather quickly." He praised her.  She was learning the practical side of magic easily- a lot like the young men Grima had taken under his wing.  Though in his mind it was clear Lucina learned less from theory and more from practical means. It was a challenge that he was finding well worthwhile.  Between them was a small gap- a gap he was anxious to keep as it was becoming difficult for him to not start responding to how close she was to him physically.  Few people had such a compatible mana like this and he could feel his face heating up at the thought. She was definitely his kind of girl. He could only hope that Aversa wouldn't try making a love potion and giving them it.  It would cause a lot of trouble if she did as he knew it would be almost impossible for him to resist the effects as love potions by and large tended to amplify a mana bond between compatible individuals. Worse still his sister could easily slip it into anything and they'd be none the wiser about it until it wore off.  Still it was important that he teach Lucina as best he could to help her learn how to properly defend herself should the need ever arise. Hopefully it never would but it never hurt to have those skills under her belt.

 

They took a break when Grima had to go down stairs.  To his credit he had almost cleared away the worst of the blush on his face when he reached the last step before the door, so at worst he looked like he'd had a little run.  He closed the door behind him and saw a weird looking old man. He tried to keep the grimace off his face. Who would have thought an old man would be in the area, especially given how easily overpowered he could have been.  "A moment of your time?" Asked the old man and Grima replied,

"Look if you're one of those Naga priests, save it.  I'm not interested. Besides, you'd do better in the more well to do areas than here." He said flatly, "If you're here to browse, by all means- If you're after any books that aren't here I can order them in though there will be a few days before they get here." He drew in a breath and continued, "Otherwise if you have any other questions, I'd be happy to help."

The old man started, "Oh, I see." He said, "Forgive me, perhaps you'd know the way to the Emporium?"

"First street to the right from here if you keep going this way." He said pointing with his right hand, "Then once you've taken the right follow it until you get to the large building with a large sign above it, you can't miss it."

"Ah, my thanks." The old man said as he hobbled out.  Grima sighed as he watched the man leave. Once the man was out of ear shot Grima muttered, "What is it with weirdos and coming to  _ my _ shop first?"

 

~*~

 

Lucina had been practicing the magic like Robin had shown her- the oddly electric feeling no longer present to distract her.  She had to wonder why it was that whenever Robin was close to her she felt like her body was singing with energy. Of course she got the paper floating just as Robin returned, "You're a natural Lucina." He said and she felt a blush creep up her cheeks.  The only time she was ever told something like that was in sports by Severa's father Gregor, the school's sports teacher. To hear it about something she had not had a lot of experience with was...pleasant. It made her feel  _ happy _ and a warmth spilled into her chest, especially when Aversa spoke,

"My, my, that is high praise coming from you little Bird." She said with a smile, "Though he is right.  I think you'll most certainly do well when we get to fire magic."

"Really?" Lucina asked surprised, "I thought magic took years to master?"

Robin chuckled, "Only for those who don't have an aptitude for it, those that do, well a few months is all they need, sometimes even a couple of weeks." He said,

"Or in the case of little Bird, a week to master both anima and dark magic." Aversa said amused at Robin's sudden flush of red,

"Aversa…now is not the time to mention that kind of shit."

Lucina giggled softly and soon the two young women laughed.  Robin smiled and joined them.

 

~*~

 

The first week passed very quickly and the news stations in Ylisse had run the story of the young missing school girl for the hundredth time.  To see Lucina's face on the news was becoming harder for Brady, as both of his parents were being investigated and he was in temporary care while it was being done.  To make matters worse his classmates had been demanding answers about why the most popular girl in school would just vanish into thin air and speculating that it was a rouse as more than likely Lucina had been killed by his parents- lies naturally but there was nothing he could say to change what they wanted to believe.

 

Brady got up from his seat on the couch, and went to the room he was staying in and pulled out his violin.  He didn't care for seeing his sister on the news like she was and instead he focused on his practice his teacher had assigned him.  A yell sounded from outside his door but he ignored it. He was sick of it all. Yet as he played he began to wonder if this was how Lucina felt when she was semi forced to come and live with him and his parents.  For the first time in his life Brady was beginning to understand how his sister might have felt...

 

~*~

 

The desperate grip on how close was too close threatened to have Grima do something he knew he wasn't quite ready for just yet.  He felt the pull of a compatible mana and it was enough to cause concern as he'd never had anything like this before,  _ ever _ .  Lucina's mana had been growing rapidly under his guidance and he could only pray her naiveté would keep things in check.  Though he could see Aversa grinning at him every time he moved to teach Lucina a new spell and he found himself praying his sister wasn't planning to use a love potion.  It was bad enough that he was struggling with keeping an acceptable distance, a love potion would make it worse.

 

~*~

 

It wasn't long before the first inkling came to Aversa that her brother was most definitely into his 'guest'.  It would take the density of a guppy to not notice that her younger brother (gods bless it) was completely smitten with Lucina.  Aversa was amused to see it playing out, but she noticed the real fun happened whenever the two got close as Grima taught Lucina about magic.  Which was an exciting prospect as it meant quite possibly that the pair had compatible mana...and if she  _ were _ to slip them a love potion…well it would mean she'd have the potential pleasure of having her little brother become a father.  Possibly forming a very deep bond with Lucina- they seemed plenty compatible with one another besides their mana.

 

Avsera grinned widely.  That was a suitable option to get the ball rolling, however, there was this undeniably cute awkwardness from Grima that would be a shame to ruin...unless she did give  _ the _ love potion she was thinking of.  It was comparatively mild, lasting a few hours- ah, but the fun she could have seeing if it did move things along.  She decided to slip away and see if she could find what she needed without alerting her precious little brother of what she had in store for him.  This was going to be highly entertaining to watch.

 

~*~

 

Two full weeks passed and things were getting tense.  Frederick wasn't allowed to get a moment's reprieve. He almost couldn't believe the wild rumours that were circulating.  Horrified by them actually as they didn't help in finding Lucina. Maribelle had been in a state and a half- blaming herself for failing to bond with Lucina more, and he could only support her in her grief.  Worse still they had only just found the letter from Lucina's teacher. Maribelle had finally spoken with him over the phone and it was clear that they were not even remotely aware of half of the issues Lucina had been having at school as they should have been.  It was a shock to the system for both of them. Especially when Ricken had leant back in his chair and uttered the words that Frederick hadn't expected,

"I know it might not be my place to comment, but was there anything going on at home that could have contributed to Miss Altea's falling marks?" Ricken asked, and Maribelle shook her head, "Well at any rate, I think you should probably have this-" Ricken handed them a plain book that Frederick vaguely recognised as undoubtedly Lucina's half yearly school report, which they wouldn't have seen until the week after this meeting, "Though it won't help much." Ricken sighed, "But it is where she is currently at."

 

~*~

 

Aversa was almost done with the love potion- it had no taste whatsoever and it would be easy to slip into anything- though Grima was far too on guard about it, so she would have to wait for a more opportune time to make it happen.  She had to wonder what her next move would be. Oh she would most certainly enjoy the fun that she was plotting. If only to break the ice. Though if the pair went further...she wouldn't mind at all. It would make for a great start and quite possibly even more entertainment.  She however would have to plan it well. After all she was well versed in magic. A smirk crossed her face. Her brother wasn't the only one able to make use of magic to get the job done and...she had a plan that not even  _ he _ could see coming.  Aversa giggled as she put the finishing touches in play.  She would get to see them be freed from their restraint soon and she liked the thought.  This little nudge would do it perfectly.


	6. Danger Set in Motion

With the shift of her hand the vial floated and moved without her having to do a thing.  Aversa grinned as she managed to get the love potion into the teapot. She knew her brother would have his usual tea and that Lucina wouldn't say no to a cup.  Besides she knew it would perhaps shift things for the better. That and she couldn't wait to see the pair break down the silly little barriers stopping them.

 

~*~

 

The steady rise of steam filled the room as Lissa relaxed in her bath.  She had been told a while ago that her niece had gone missing and there was nothing that she could do about it.  She had her phone not too far away from her, it wasn't often that she could actually have a bath as the temperatures in Regna Ferox were often so cold that baths had to be warmed the old fashioned way, boiling buckets of water.  Yet today was a good, nice day as the water wasn't frozen in the pipes. She was humming a little song when her phone suddenly rang. Lissa frowned and used her magic to float it over to see who would be calling and frowned. It was an unfamiliar number.  Normally Lissa would have swiped right to reject the call but for some inexplicable reason, she swiped left.

" _Aunt Lissa…_ " Lissa almost dropped her phone,

"LUCINA?!" She cried out in response, eyes wide in shock, "Oh my gods, where are you?!  You're not hurt are you?!"

She heard her niece sigh, " _I'm fine._ " Lucina's voice was calm, " _I'm...staying with a friend.  There's no need to worry._ "

Lissa gripped her phone, "Lucina, your parents are worried sick!" Lissa cried, and she heard a small huff on the other end of the line, a huff she knew meant that her niece had made up her mind about something and there was no hope in swaying her otherwise.  She really was just like Chrom,

" _I'm not going back.  Least of all to_ them _.  Besides-_ "

Lissa heard Lucina call out, but she couldn't make out what was being said, "Lucy…" Lissa said using her niece's pet name,

" _I've made my choice Auntie.  I don't want to go back._ " Lucina said and then Lissa heard what Lucina said, " _Thank you Robin_."

Lissa nearly dropped her phone when she heard a male voice reply and before she could say anything, Lucina said she had to go and Lissa was left with a cold chill down her spine.

 

Lucina had been missing for a full three weeks now and on a whim rung Lissa.  Chrom's youngest sister, the one who was in Regna Ferox and a full three hour flight away.  Lissa looked down at her phone. It was a private number, so it would be very difficult to trace where it was from and Lon'qu wasn't due home for another hour with Owain since her son was in the Ferox cadets and Lon'qu was one of the officers there.

 

Lissa however had other things on her mind as she dialed Emmeryn's phone number.  This was important information and Lissa knew she was limited in what she could do, but if Lucina was truly safe…

 

Then Lissa had to at least tell Emmeryn and Maribelle, though Lissa knew that she couldn't really call Maribelle anymore since she'd lost the latter's phone number awhile ago.

 

~*~

 

Lucina sighed as she sipped the tea that she was given.  For some reason she felt it best to at least tell her aunt she was okay, even if Lissa had said that Lucina's mother and stepfather were worries about her.  Lucina snorted softly and she noticed that Robin was leaning back on the bench as he drank his tea. "My, such resolve…" Aversa said, "Are you sure you don't want to go back home?  Your family seem like they do care."

Lucina sighed and shook her head, "No, they just act like they do." She said as she became thoughtful, "Ever since my father passed away…"

Aversa winced and held Lucina's hand, "I...I see.  You don't have to tell us anything you don't want to."

Robin hummed, "It's fine...I just...really miss my father." Lucina said quietly, "He was always so understanding, no matter how much I seemed to struggle with anything he'd always help me with it." She felt herself start to get close to crying, but she pushed herself to continue, she felt that at the very least they understand why she left her mother and stepfather, "I was forced to live with my mother and stepfather and...well...it was horrible from day one…"

 

~*~

 

Grima winced.  He had thought Validar was messed up, but Lucina's stepfather clearly took the cake and ate it.  He'd never heard of a person so blind to what was clearly going on in front of him.

 

Grima could _see_ Lucina was smart.  He _knew_ with the right kind of help she'd have done well at school because she _was_ a quick learner.  It hadn't taken much for Grima to teach her all of the practical applications for magic and she was certainly skilled at anything, if given audio and visual cues, coupled with a clear explanation.

 

Yet what Grima couldn't understand was how Lucina's own _mother_ could have missed those cues.  Was the relationship between Lucina's father and mother _that_ horrific that…

"Well then, Aversa, do you mind going next door to give Gaius the money for my tab please?"

Aversa blinked but nodded, "Of course little brother."

"Thanks." He said turning to write a list of what he likely was going to need to order.  He hummed softly while he worked and had not realised that his sister was smirking behind his back.

 

~*~

 

It took almost an hour before he noticed anything off.  He was teaching Lucina thunder magic when it happened.

 

Aversa had gone to have a shower as she had declared she wanted to go shopping for a while and he couldn't help but get the feeling that something was off.

 

However it was more subtle than he realised at first.

 

Were it stronger he'd have recognized it sooner and taken the necessary precautions.

 

As it stood he was already lost and it was clear that Lucina was more so.  Neither wanted to move as the love potion clearly took its insidious effect.  He knew because his body was pressed against hers and she wasn't the least bit concerned by it as she should have been.

 

Grima wanted to curse his sister in that moment but his mind was on _other_ things that he'd not been thinking about since puberty hit him.  He was already having an issue with his body's reaction to Lucina's mana and as he thought the love potion was making it a hundred times worse.  He could barely concentrate on teaching Lucina what she needed and it wasn't helped by the subtle shifts of her weight and what she was essentially rubbing against unintentionally.

 

Barely fifteen minutes passed and Grima’s sanity was hanging by a thread.  He couldn't believe Aversa would do something like giving him and Lucina a love potion.  Did his sister honestly believe that a love potion was the right way to make a relationship?!

 

He was fighting it with everything he had and he wondered how much longer the torture was going to last.  It was almost too much to bare. Something had to give and that something was Lucina. She moved as if to ask him something only for the potion's effects to hit them both full force.

 

He wasn't actually sure of much, but somehow they kissed, and things just went from bad to worse as he ended up sweeping her off her feet and carrying her in his arms.  They both barely seemed in control of their own inhibitions, Grima pulling back from a third kiss by this stage and Lucina was panting slightly. "Robin…" her expression softened before she tilted her head up slightly and caught him in the fourth kiss since the potion had taken its effect.  He'd be lying if he didn't like the way she said his sort of name. A snap of his fingers was all it took for them to take a step that would change everything.

 

~*~

 

"Ah~!  Robin~!" Lucina cried as she had lost all sense of control and she didn't know why that was the case.  She lost count of how many times they'd kissed, she only knew how good she was feeling. And it was clear that Robin was _very_ skilled.

 

No sooner did that thought cross her mind then did Lucina vaguely recall something semi important from sex ed, namely that when two compatible mana were active at the same time, it meant that a couple were more likely to end up with a child, though to be fair it wasn't like her teachers were entirely clear on that.

 

A low moan escaped her as she was starting to lose all sense of time and place.  It seemed that Robin was equally lost in the blaze as she was. Lucina was barely aware that they were both completely naked.  The only thing she did notice was how warm she was and how good she felt.

 

~*~

 

Grima wanted to curse Aversa for the situation she'd put him in with Lucina.  Not only did the love potion strip him of his reason, it made him lose all sense of responsibility in favour of pure passion.  He was already beyond consciously objecting to the sexual act that he was engaging in with Lucina, wherein he was using a finger inside of her vagina to elicit a series of cute moans.  He of course was dealing with a very normal erection and he could feel the heat rushing to his penis at just the sounds Lucina was making alone. He did not dare to think about the potential feeling of her tight wet walls around him.  _That_ would be his undoing if he thought about it actively.  No, what he was doing was gradually increasing the chance that she wouldn't be hurt by what was to come.  He wanted her to be ready for him. Though he desperately wanted to charge in, he had enough presence of mind not to do that.  Not only would it hurt her but it wouldn't bode well for them afterwards.

 

Deftly he began to insert two fingers inside of her.  Her cry of 'Robin' was enough to tell him she was certainly enjoying this, if her desperate attempts to get his fingers deeper inside of her was any indication.  He kept at it a while more before he shifted slightly and used his magic to get what he knew would make this a little easier.

 

A bottle of lube.

 

Unlike some men, who perhaps didn't think about it too much when having sex, Grima knew that trying to insert his penis into Lucina's vagina would be more difficult than necessary, even if she was soaking wet.  He knew that a coating of lube on his cock would make it a lot easier on both of them. He bit back a low moan as he proceeded to rub the lube over his dick, only to be caught by surprise when Lucina firmly kissed him.  He let out another low moan of her name when they drew apart and he lined himself up with her entrance and thrust in easily.

 

"Ah~!" Lucina moaned, "Ro~obin~!"

Her cries drawn out as he thrust into her and drew out.  She sort his lips again and their frantic kisses were an attempt at hiding the sinful act that they were engaging in.  Anyone who was an Ylissean would frown upon what the young couple were doing. Even some Plegians might have frowned upon the act, but for Grima, none of that mattered.  He was lost in the feeling of being inside of Lucina and the feeling was amazing. Her grip on his shoulders was strong as Grima made a particularly powerful thrust that surged deeply inside of her.

 

Had Grima been in a normal state of mind he would have thought to use a condom or some other contraceptive.  Yet he was too far gone, swept under by the wave of the love potion to think clearly. His only coherent thoughts were how _good_ it felt inside of Lucina and how time was rapidly running out for him as he began to chase his orgasm and cause Lucina to cum in tandem with him.

 

The wave of pleasure took Grima off guard as his release blindsided him.  Lucina cried out as she reached her own peak and was shaking from the intensity of her own orgasm.

 

In the afterglow, he held Lucina as she rested on his chest.  He was too tired to think straight and his nose was buried in her hair, enjoying the fruity scent of the shampoo she used.  Even if he was under the affects of the love potion he was glad Aversa wasn't home. He would kill her if she dared to show her face right then.

 

~*~

 

Lucina woke as the afternoon sun created a glow that made her nose wrinkle as she opened her eyes.  She nearly yelled out in shock, when she felt an arm on the small of her back and the bed seeming to rise and fall rather slowly and gently.  She barely stifled it as she shifted to get a proper look, only to blush profusely when she realised she'd been laying on Robin's surprisingly toned chest.  Her eyes wandered up and she leant on her left arm to look at him.

 

He looked much younger in sleep than his demeanor suggested.

 

He certainly was slightly paler than the normal Plegian, more like a caramel cream colour than the more chocolate colour Lucina had seen in her school.  She frowned slightly as she didn't recall anyone being quite like Robin.

 

She felt another blush as she realised that she was completely naked and that Robin was equally naked.

 

He was also surprisingly warm, something that made Lucina wonder if it was okay to stay like this.  She froze slightly when Robin let out a low sigh and seemed to wake.

 

He blinked a couple of times before he saw her.  A slight blush crossed his face before he closed his eyes.  Then a sigh escaped him, "How are you feeling?" He asked her gently.  Lucina blinked in surprise but now that he mentioned it,

"Mostly okay, but my head does hurt a little." She replied and she felt Robin's arm move from the small of her back to gently stroke her hair, a gesture she found soothing.  Instinctively she moved closer to him and he made a small but noticeable sharp intake of breath, only to relax when Lucina rested more securely in his arms,

"Damn Aversa." Robin hissed softly before he said, "As I thought, we were both under the influence of a love potion."

"A love potion?" Lucina asked and she heard Robin sigh heavily,

"Yes.  It is what it sounds like, a potion that unfortunately influences people to do things they might not do under normal circumstances.  Like having sex." He said as Lucina blushed, "It's stronger when two mana are compatible. I had hoped Aversa wouldn't sink so far as that, but-"

"Compatible mana?"

Robin sighed again, "Mana that causes a reaction between people, like this."  Lucina felt the electric feeling she'd been feeling around Robin whenever he was teaching her magic and she quivered slightly.  He stopped and said quietly, "Under normal circumstances, the reaction can be controlled, but if under the influence of a love potion…" Robin's sentence hung as Lucina began to put two and two together,

"It's possible to be like this?" She asked and he nodded,

"I should have been more aware of it." He said and Lucina could hear the regret in his voice, "Or at the very least have had some form of precaution in place.  Ugh, I swear I will make Aversa regret having made that love potion…"

Lucina sighed and nestled close to Robin and his breathing hitched again.  She tilted her head up slightly to look at him and almost without thinking, she felt the warmth between them.  Robin sighed. Even if it was under the influence of a love potion, Lucina decided she didn't mind that she lost her virginity to Robin.

 

~*~

 

The spray of hot water seared his skin as Grima took a deep breath of steam laden air.  He was still shaken from what had transpired between Lucina and him. In the aftermath of the love potion wearing off, guilt plagued him as he _knew_ what had happened.  He'd not just slept with Lucina, but likely gotten her pregnant as well.  It would be a miracle if she'd not conceived a child to him. Yet even as that thought crossed his mind, Grima felt himself getting hard at the thought of their sinful act, the moans in his ears even now as his body began to react to his desires and replay the love potion induced sexual encounter.

 

He reached downwards and closed his eyes as his chest began to heave as his breathing became messed up.

 

He could see all too clearly the delightful deep blue halo as his lips frantically met hers, the scent of lust and sin that now permeated his room, her aroused scent filling his nose.  He could almost taste her on his tongue the vision was so strong. A hand closed around his penis as he frantically began to pump down and up again, base to tip and back again, clenching his hand a little tighter as he allowed himself to get carried away by the vision in his mind's eye.

 

And what a vision it was.

 

He could clearly see the slight figure of Lucina in his daydream.  Her figure that he knew was starting to fill out nicely with the curves he wanted to see more of, wide generous hips that made her all the more gorgeous, breasts that needed just that bit more to fill out, soft porcelain skin that felt like silk under his fingers.

 

Grima was panting as he switched hands, his left taking over and increasing the pleasure he was feeling as his right arm had started to cramp and he was desperate to chase down this orgasm that was so close to fruition.

 

He was still caught up inside his daydream and didn't notice it.  He was close to his orgasm now and he wasn't about to let it slip by.  That was the last thing he wanted as it would be painful otherwise.

 

A low grunt of frustration became a low moan of pure orgasmic bliss as he came, hard.  The electric feeling from his orgasm nearly brought him to his knees with how intense it was.  Especially since the daydream Lucina had touched him and said in the most sexy way possible, _"I love you, Robin…"_


	7. Favours

Had he been more aware of the consequences of his sister’s actions, Grima would have done something, anything to prevent the use of a love potion to cause what happened between him and Lucina.  As it stood it was difficult to move past what had just happened. Grima cleaned himself up and sighed as he thought about what the next move was to be.

 

He knew that for the most part, he wouldn't be able to deal with Aversa outright just yet as it would be unwise to do so.  Especially given that she likely assumed her plan was a good idea. Though the potentially negative impact on Lucina wasn't a good idea, he knew that it was beyond his choice to do anything at present.

 

It annoyed him for things to have gone this way.  Worse still he had to somehow deal with all of the sin and sex that had gone down if he wanted to…

 

Aversa had a lot of explaining to do when she returned from the shopping trip she said she was doing.  Especially seeing as she _did_ given them both a love potion that they _didn't_ need to have.

 

~*~

 

The phone rang just as Emmeryn was about to leave the office.  She had a very long day and she was tired. It had been like this ever since Chrom had died.  She remembered him in that last stretch, before he finally succumbed to the cancer and what he'd asked of her, should it take his life.

 

She picked the phone up and to her immense shock heard Lissa on the other end.

 

The conversation was brief, but it was enough to make Emmeryn realise that somehow, there had to be a reason that Lucina had reached out to Lissa, perhaps knowing the younger woman would reach out to Emmeryn first.

 

It was the first time that Emmeryn had ever wondered if Lucina was truly unhappy living with Maribelle and Frederick- the courts ruled that Lucina should go to live with her mother, despite Chrom willing that Emmeryn be Lucina's caregiver.

 

Now it seemed that Lucina had taken things in her own hands.  She had to wonder how that would reflect on the courts of Ylisse now if Lucina couldn't be found or returned to the care of her parents.  Emmeryn supposed it was something that the courts were going to have to work out.

 

~*~

 

If anyone had said that the love potion episode would be forgotten, they would be quite wrong.  Lucina couldn't help blushing at the thought of the pure intimacy that she'd had and the most embarrassing part was that it had been so easy to do.

 

She heard the less than pleased tone Robin had with his sister, and caught something along the lines of "How could you do this?" but Lucina couldn't figure out what they were saying too well.

 

Still it seemed that Aversa was quite apologetic and Robin seemed to have dropped the matter for the time being.

 

The rest of the week following the episode saw Robin teach Lucina the quickest and most effective way to defend herself against any one who dared to threaten her.  He stressed the importance of not using Thunder in any vital areas as well.

 

"You don't want to _kill_ anyone, you are better off winding them and getting clear of them, killing them is...not something you want to have happen as it is morally wrong.  Winding them is by far the safest option as you can use self defense against anyone who might be threatening you without getting into too much trouble.  Though it you ever _do_ have to take someone out...you only have one shot, but I would heavily advise against it, you're better off with a non violent solution." He said.

 

The entire week saw Lucina master what Robin called 'winding', the use of wind magic to hit someone right on the solar plexus to force air out of their lungs and incapacitate them long enough to give Lucina the opening she might need to escape danger.  It was something Robin clearly felt she would need to know and it was something she felt was clearly weighing on him.

 

~*~

 

Grima had a stern talking to with Aversa demanding she give her word that she wouldn't try to make anymore love potions.  "It wasn't even that strong!" Aversa said with a roll of her eyes, "Surely you wouldn't have-"

"Wait...what do you mean not that strong?!" Grima shot at her sharply, Aversa frowned,

"It was the weakest kind." She said honestly and Grima felt the colour drain from his face,

"This is worse than I thought." He said pacing back and forth before her,

"Worse how Grima?" She asked him arms folded now,

He glared at her for a moment and said,

"Are you not aware of the situation?" He shot at her, "The risk that you've put Lucina in?" He demanded,

Aversa smirked, "Oh that is rich." She said and he wanted to throttle her, "Need I remind you what happened when we were younger?"

He flinched, "That was because he forced me to fucking do it!" Grima snapped, "You know it.  I even warned you as soon as he wasn't watching!"

Aversa sighed, "I suppose you did.  But why…?"

Grima closed his eyes as the painful memory replayed,

"He wanted to prove a point, that he could control us both." He replied only to realise he'd said something he shouldn't have and that his sister was not pleased to hear the admission he'd not meant to say in her hearing.

 

Aversa frowned, "What did he do." She said and grabbed Grima’s right hand when he couldn't meet her eyes.  He didn't stop her as she held her own over his and used a pulse of dark magic, "The son of a bitch!" She cursed as the back of his right hand glowed with a familiar sight.  A six eyed symbol glowed back at them. Grima looked down as it stayed visible despite the hex she'd cast being a short term revealer, unable to face his sister now that she knew _exactly_ what their father had done to him.

 

"All I ask is you don't do it again." Grima said quietly, "Please Aversa…" he pleaded

"He _will_ pay for this." Aversa hissed as Grima was quick to cast a concealment hex on the mark.

"He knows, Aversa.  He...he said it was my fault mother died."

"Bullshit!" Aversa said sharply, "I don't care if he thinks you're the reincarnation of the Fell Dragon!  You are yourself, Grima- No Robin. You are yourself Robin. You are not _him_.  You will _never_ be him." She told him then to his shock she pulled him into an embrace and before he could stop himself a choked sob broke out unbidden.

 

~*~

 

Two weeks had passed since the incident and Grima was quietly making a list of all of the things that they were going to need when he realised that Lucina wasn't in her usual place at her usual time.  The pen fell and he was quick to make his way to Lucina's room. He gingerly knocked on the door, "Lucina, is everything okay?" He asked through the door. He listened carefully and could hear a weak response.

 

He opened the door and saw that Lucina was laying down and she did not look well.

 

"Robin…" Her voice was weak as he quietly came to sit near her feet.  She looked clammy and pale. He noticed the bucket by the side of her bed and knew that it was inevitable that this was going to happen.  He spoke gently,

"Have you been able to hold anything down?" She shook her head, "I see." he sighed, "Looks like I'll have to pull some favours then." She looked so cute, despite her unwell appearance with her furrowed brow.  "Don't worry, the favour I'm pulling is long overdue. A friend of mine who happens to be a doctor owes me." He explained, " _Really_ owes me.  So suffice to say it's not going to put anyone out and I know he'll keep quiet about where you are, if of course you don't want your parents to know where you are." He added.  She relaxed and he shifted to gently brush her hair off her face. Strangely enough he felt a tingle up his arm, different to what he'd felt before and he realised what it was.  He nearly felt his façade of calm drop for a moment. Lucina had closed her eyes and he sighed. He should have known that they would form a mana bond. He carefully tucked the sleeping girl in and headed to the phone.

 

~*~

 

The light filtered through the main cafeteria in Ylisse's Naga's Mercy hospital where a young man with long blond hair was sitting down to a well earned morning coffee and muffin to replenish his strength before the full rush of his job called him elsewhere.  He felt his phone ring in his pocket and he pulled it out.

 

He nearly dropped the phone when he saw who's number it was.

 

"Hello." He said answering swiftly,

" _I hate to call you now, but I need a very important favour...you don't mind me asking for payment at this time, Libra Rivira?_ "


	8. Triggered Switch

" _I hate to call you now, but I need a very important favour...you don't mind me asking for payment at this time, Libra Rivira?_ "

 

Libra was close to dropping his phone as the voice on the other end belonged to none other than Grima Fauder had decided to collect the debt that Libra owed him...until he realised what Grima was asking, "What kind of payment?" Libra asked cautiously only to hear an amused chuckle on the other end of the line,

" _I have no desire to make threats.  I am merely asking for a favour. A partial payment if you will._ "

Libra looked around him and carefully folded his napkin, "The usual place?" He asked, and he heard the hummed response,

" _Yes that will work, we can talk more then.  Though you should bring supplies, the favour I need is...somewhat medical._ "

Libra froze, "Medical?" He asked and realised that there were some looks from his colleagues, and he spoke in Plegian, "What kind of medical supplies, dare I ask?"

" _Something to test for a pregnancy, if nothing else._ " Grima's voice was calm and Libra had a sense that there was more going on but he supposed he'd have to be careful.  It wasn't a good idea to broadcast the conversation,

"Very well.  I will be there in an hour's time." He said trying to calm himself.  He trembled slightly, aware that this was as serious as things could get, not only had Grima Fauder contacted him but required Libra for something medical- a pregnancy…

 

Naturally Libra should have expected that one day his debt would be expected to be repaid, yet he didn't want to have to think about it that much.  After all it was only thanks to Grima that he was even alive and breathing after what happened in Plegia's only church of Naga. He looked around him and became thoughtful.  He might not have much time to slip away so he would have to make a reasonable excuse. He sighed. There was also the issue that there was something keeping Grima busy, enough to contact Libra…

 

The young man had to move carefully, it seemed.

 

~*~

 

By the time Grima got off the phone with Libra, he was already checking on Lucina again.  She was still unwell but at least he had someone coming to help. He walked down to the shop and combed through the books he had, anything on what to do to help Lucina through this but he didn't exactly have much information on anything medical.  A sigh escaped him as he saw the familiar sight of fighting out on the street, a dark hood hid one of the men while the other was brandishing a knife. Grima watched as the dark hooded man used a quick shot of a dagger to his assailant's chest and froze when the man turned.

 

The man made his way casually into the shop, giving Grima a very clear view of the jumper, "Well, well, well, if it ain't the prodigal son of Validar." The man said with a laugh,

"Vasto." Grima inclined his head, "To what do I owe the...pleasure, of seeing you."

The man lowered his hood revealing a shock of auburn hair and a grimace, "Aww, you're too kind, Grima Faudar." He leered at the albino, "So here's th' deal.  Th' boss told us t' find ya, any means possible and bring you back home, preferably alive yo."

Grima frowned, "Now why would he do that?  I thought he said he didn't want to see me ever again." Grima said gripping the counter under his hand creating splinters as the wood started to groan under his hand,

"Yeah, 'bout that," Vasto smirked now and Grima could feel his mana starting to overflow in response to the danger, "Th' motherfucker said so.  You ain't got no damn choice."

Grima frowned, "Even if my woman isn't in any condition to leave Ylisse?" He asked unthinkingly,

Vasto froze and Grima wanted to curse his tongue, "Wait...you gotta hoe?" Grima ran a hand through his hair, "Oh, I see how this is.  Ya gots yourself a hoe an' ya didn't want 'im t' know did ya? Ha, ha, ha. Well alright then, you crazy motherfucker, my lips are sealed.  Though ya probs should come clean yeah? But hey, you get your hoe in condition to come to Plegia an' no one gets hurt yeah?" Vasto said flicking his knife.  Grima knew that for the moment at least he'd bought time, but the reality set in. He knew no matter where he went the Grimleal would find him, and turning to the Ylisseans wasn't an option.  At all.

"Of course." Grima said masking his true feelings.  He wanted to curse. This was going to get very dangerous.  Once Vasto was gone Grima looked down at the desk and noticed the blood from wood cutting into his skin.  "Fuck you Validar. Whatever you're planning, I'll have your head...somehow." Grima said softly to himself.  He released the counter as more blood started to spill on to it.

 

He had to figure out how best to protect Lucina.  A foolish slip of the tongue had just put them in more than enough danger for one day.  He turned to get something to clean up the mess he was making and he paused. How did the Grimleal find him?  And why did Validar want Grima back?

 

He sighed, now wasn't the time to think about that, he had to deal with whatever his stupid father had planned, and that required a few things and a conversation with Lucina that was going to be dangerous.

 

~*~

 

Lucina was half asleep when Robin arrived with  his left hand wrapped up, he looked slightly annoyed but as he sat beside her, she noticed the pained expression on his face.  She half rose, "Robin, your hand…" she spoke out of worry but he waved it off,

"There are...slightly more pressing issues to worry about." He said, voice oddly gentle, "It seems that my father is anxious to have me return to Plegia...and I can't say I want to go, however he also insisted on you coming with me." Lucina blinked in surprise, "Believe me when I said I was hoping to get a few years without having to deal with him ever again.  He sent a friend of his to make his point clear and I can't exactly refuse him. I've managed to give us some time, but who knows how long he'll really give?" Robin sighed. Lucina had a feeling that there was something he wasn't saying and she reached to take his injured hand in her own. She knew what he was saying. Somehow she knew.

"Then we'll have to make the best of it, right?" She asked him and she saw his eyes widen, "True it might not be in the best of circumstances but whatever happens, I want to help, however I can."

Robin smiled softly, "That's supposed to be my line, Lucina." He said as Lucina leant back, "Now then…"

 

~*~

 

Libra arrived at the bookstore knowing that Grima likely would be waiting for him.  As expected Grima was waiting for him and Libra followed the albino upstairs. Grima's sister Aversa was at the counter grumbling about a mess.

 

He entered the small apartment and cleared his throat, "This way." Grima said and Libra followed him to a room and nearly dropped the bag he was holding when he saw none other than Lucina Altea propped up in the bed.  His eyes darted between them both for a moment before he sighed,

"I thought I was prepared for anything but-"

"I would appreciate it if you didn't mention she was here." Grima said calmly, "She chose to stay after I offered her.  My sister managed to get the two of us to ingest a love potion."

Libra immediately frowned, "How powerful was it?" He asked as he started working out what he'd need,

"She said it was weak...but I have a feeling a mana bond might have formed." Grima replied,

"Oh my…" Libra said worried.  Of course Lucina stirred and he spoke to her, "Hello, I'm Doctor Rivira." He said calmly pulling out the medical examination staff he had for general health checks, "There is no need to worry, my job isn't to say anything you don't want anyone else to know." He told her and he saw the young woman relax.  Grima spoke,

"I take it that's my cue to leave." He said with a quiet bow.  Libra watched as Grima left. This was going to be interesting to say the least.

 

~*~

 

Grima was in the middle of making tea when he spotted Aversa come from downstairs, "You could have told me Vasto came." She shot at him,

"What could you have done?  Nothing." Grima said as she sighed,

"So it's true then." She said,

"He doesn't seem to know you're here.  Someone else must have tipped them off.  Probably those stupid Ylissean Police." Grima said irritably, "Especially given their laws-"

Aversa frowned, "Why the hells would they think you're a child?  You're a legal adult and have been since-"

"Not in Ylisse I'm not." Grima said with a wave of his hand, "Sixteen isn't an adult to them." Grima said, "Despite being the case in Plegia."  He sighed,

"So now what?" She asked,

"We humour father.  For now." He said finding some tweezers as he began to pick out the splinters of wood from in his hand.  Aversa sighed and came over,

"Well, I can see why.  But are you really sure about that?  You know as well as I do what he's like."

"Naturally." He said, "Which is why I intend to humour him." Grima replied, "To a point."

Aversa whistled softly, "You are playing a dangerous game little Bird." She said and he smirked,

"So are you." He said having pulled out the last of the splinters, "We will defeat him, perhaps then the Grimleal will leave us in peace."

"One can only hope." Aversa sighed.  She felt a cold chill down her spine at the thought.  Her brother was planning something. Something dangerous, of that she was sure.


	9. The Father's Demands

It was decided that Libra would keep an eye on Lucina's progress as she decided she wanted to go through with the pregnancy- a decision Grima fully supported as he felt at least partly responsible for it, but he also felt that Lucina shouldn't be pressured either way and it would be horrible if she was forced to make a choice she hadn't wanted to make.  Thus he had for the time being reason enough to keep things quiet but how long he would have was unknown. Vasto would likely cause more trouble than he was worth and Grima still had to figure out how to deal with Validar, an obstacle that was not so easily shaken despite the fact that Grima was doing his best to plan around it.

 

Even though Grima didn't particularly want it, he would for the time being have to accept his father's advances.  Yet he was already planning Validar's fall. He felt slightly sick but considering his father was able to move in the shadows, it was time for Grima to pull his father's deeds to the light to truly nail the foolish man.  Yet the problem lay in the fact that in the end he was little more than in a dangerous situation. Even if he wanted to kill Validar, there was that problem that Grima would be no better than the man he was trying to eliminate from his life.

 

If there was something that he had to do, however, it was changing the course of his fate.  Grima knew he wasn't like Validar. He wanted to live his own life after all and it was time for his father to find out that Grima was more dangerous than he appeared.

 

He sighed as he gripped the knife in his hand.

 

Somehow he would make his own path and that path would be his own.

 

Getting rid of Vasto was impossible, worse still he had a feeling the Ylisseans had no idea of the danger than they were courting getting as close to him as they had.  He sighed and began to make a small mark in the wood. If worse came to worse...he would have to take a more active stance, Validar wasn't the only one who could control the underworld.  Though Grima wanted to avoid it, it was his absolute last resort. He drew in a deep breath. This was going to get ugly and he knew it. "Let's see how long it takes you to figure it out father." He said softly, "This time...this time you won't win."

 

~*~

 

There was a fall out from Lucina going missing that caused a stir, the fact she'd been able to hide from not just her parents, but the world at large wasn't normal.  Of course with the picture of a fourteen year old girl with short hair on the news every night should have been enough to find her, but as time went on, it was hard to believe that they wouldn't have found even the tiniest piece of information on her whereabouts other than the call she gave her aunt Lissa, a call in which Lucina said quite clearly she did not want to return to her parents- specifically them and wasn't negotiating about it.  The most frightening thing was that they couldn't even trace the number she'd called from. No matter what kind of tech they used, something was blocking them, almost as if there was a spell that was concealing the number so that they couldn't even trace it. Worse still they couldn't get their main source to talk. Almost as if the man was hiding something.

 

~*~

 

Grima closed his eyes as he leant on the wall of his room.  He could hear the usual fighting going on in the street below and wondered if it was any different from Plegia.  A snort escaped him and he opened his eyes as Aversa came in, "The Ylisseans are getting more nosey." She said, "Are you sure that hiding her is the best idea?"

He sighed, "She doesn't want to go back to them.  She made that quite clear." He said looking at her,

Aversa sighed, "True but-"

"They know she's safe isn't that the most important thing?  Our father notwithstanding, she is safe." He said with a sigh,

"Is that you or the mana bond talking?" Aversa asked him and he looked at her, expression serious,

"And who forced that issue?" He asked her and she sighed,

"Right...because mistakes happen, little Bird." She said,

"I understand your concern I do.  I already have a plan to deal with Father, should it come to that."

She sighed and sat on the end of his bed, "Then what are you going to do about Vasto, he assumes-"

"That Lucina is my-" He suddenly flushed red, "Girlfriend…"

Aversa raised an eyebrow, "Well you did say she was your woman."

"Ugh…" Grima reefed his hood down trying and failing to hide his embarrassment over the rash statement- though perhaps it was the mana bond talking and not his normal state of mind, "Because it was the only thing I could think of…"

Aversa sighed, "Well it was rash I guess, but-"

"But what?  She would have been in more danger if not for that." Grima sighed.

"You have a point...there's no telling what would have happened otherwise."

He huffed, "So now it just boils down to how we're going to sort it out.  Dealing with Validar…" he clarified and he seemed to frown for a moment, "Or we let the Ylisseans open themselves up for it." He said calmly and Aversa raised an eyebrow,

"What are you planning Grima Fauder?"

He smirked, "Something crazy." He said with a shrug, "Nothing you haven't seen me do, but crazy enough if I can get the right pieces together."

She looked like she wanted to throw something at him, and he laughed.  He saw Lucina and he smiled. She seemed to be feeling better at least and that was reason enough to be happy.  Aversa snorted, "Sap." She shot at him and he said,

"Not as much of a sap as you are." It elicited a giggled from Lucina and Aversa rolled her eyes,

"I would tell the pair of you to get a room, but that wouldn't work."

Grima sighed and decided that it was enough at least to let her have that one.  "Well since you've got all the time in the world on your hands to make quips like that then you can run the shop today." He teased and she glared at him, "It'll be fun." He said smirking widely now,

"Ugh, the crap I do for you…" Aversa shot at him

"It's not that bad." He said and she grinned, he knew it was safe to have her out of ear shot for the conversation he'd have to have with Lucina.  It was bad enough that they were in this position, but it could very well be worse…

 

~*~

 

Lucina was finally at a point where she felt comfortable, the warmth of the blankets around her as she relaxed and Robin sat at the end of the bed as they were waiting on the arrival of Libra for another check up to make sure that everything was going smoothly.  It had been almost three full months since the love potion incident and she could safely say that Robin was not quite avoiding her, but he was keeping a bit of distance. She sighed. Since the sickness had faded she had began to notice an increased desire for sex.  It was hard to even broach such a topic as she was sure it wasn't something he'd feel comfortable with and trying to ease it on her own just didn't help matters. To make matters worse there was the same electric feeling around Robin that was starting to make things near impossible to concentrate…

 

Crimson eyes met her blue ones briefly and Lucina felt the desire hit her, hard.  She bit her bottom lip and looked away slightly to the light filtering through the window in an effort to distract herself until she felt Robin move.

 

"Lucina?" His voice was oddly soft but her eyes soon met his, a blush covering her cheeks slightly at the fact he was now sitting not too far from her hips, half leaning forward on his left arm.  She didn't know how but the electric feeling simmered down a little, but still not enough to let her think straight.

 

~*~

 

At first Grima was worried when she didn't respond right away, her face bearing a blush that made his heart skip a beat as he was reminded of just how beautiful she was and just how badly he wanted to pull her into his arms and say damn the consequences.  To lean forwards and run his fingers through her silky long hair and kiss her with abandon and to escape for the moment. The urge was so...primal...he was having a hard time pushing it down, worse still he felt like he wanted to scoop her into his arms and carry her to his bed and sink himself into her tight wet entrance, to indulge perhaps in going further than that and engaging himself in drawing out as many lewd sounds from Lucina as possible, even the idea of sex…

 

Grima spoke, "Lucina?"

 

He was desperate to hold onto something to keep his mind from wandering down the path that it was going on, anything almost but not quite the response that he got.

 

Her kiss threw him for a moment, but he couldn't believe the low moan he let out, whether relief or despair he wasn't sure as he shifted to cradle her in his arms, drawing back slightly to see her blue eyes partly closed and to hear a low almost purr of, "Robin...I…"

 

Crimson eyes hid behind their lids briefly before he tenderly cupped her chin and claimed a kiss he knew was going to cause some trouble later on, he felt her become pliant and easily shifted her into his arms.  He was sure that there would be hell to pay later but in that moment, his mind was oddly clear as he easily carried her to his room. Libra was probably going to be very annoyed but Grima couldn't help wanting to indulge just this once.

 

Of course he knew that a mana bond could cause a couple to engage in slightly more sexual activity than most normal couples might but...he found he didn't care for the theory of it right then, as he allowed his mind to wander far more than normal…

 

~*~

 

"A mana bond you say?" The man asked calmly stroking his goatee, with elongated fingers, "And the young woman is unwell?  Hmm...well I suppose I can wait for him. Though he'd better not plan anything foolish if he knows what's good for him." The man snorted as he kept stroking his goatee, peppered with white hairs, Validar Fauder smirked widely as he held the delicate glass of wine in his hand.  So far everything was going to plan, and even if Grima wanted to resist, the boy's safety and that of his woman would depend on Validar's intervention. Especially if there was a baby Fauder on the way. Threats outside of Plegia's borders was something Validar couldn't ignore and really, the Ylisseans couldn't be trusted after all.  Validar swirled the red liquid around in the glass savoring the scent and taste. It was time for a family reunion. He smirked widely, "Send for Mars and Navarre. It's time for a Fauder get together."

"Wha' abou' Aversa?"

Validar laughed, "My daughter will naturally be with Grima, she will come, once we've found suitable employees for his bookstore." Validar said calmly, "It does belong to him after all and as much as I would love to help him, he's refused.  Still it can't hurt to try…" Validar chuckled as he held a ball of purple flames in his hands, "After all we have found the perfect entry into Ylisse and the drugs will flow. It's only a matter of time before we take out their excuses of gangs."

"A war boss?"

"Yes, yes.  Time to make the world once again fear the Grimleal...and under my guidance we will have the world under command, and no pathetic borders will stop us!" Validar roared with laughter as the fire ball glowed in its intensity.  The room lit up with a sickening colour as beyond him was a young woman laying chained to the bed, eyes widening in fear as he set the glass down now that his subordinate had left to tell the others of whatever foul deeds the man had planned.  She tried to escape Validar's clutches as his hands began to touch her body. She wore a gag that prevented her from causing him any pain and she started to struggle once his hand slid down towards her barely covered vagina, "Yes…" He purred, "They will know true fear indeed."

 

The young girl wished she could scream as he removed his pants.  Her eyes screwed shut so she wouldn't have to see what was to come.  She knew that he would soon be forcing himself upon her, that was a given by now.  Still she struggled and screamed through the gag when he suddenly penetrated her. The first time he'd done it, she bled.  Now...well now she could do nothing but feel disgust as his hands touched her breasts and pawed at them like an animal.


End file.
